Himalayan River Systems

The Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra comprise the Himalayan river systems.

The Himalayan Rivers existed even before the formation of Himalayas i.e. before the collision of Indian Plate with the Eurasian plate. {Antecedent Drainage}

They were flowing into the Tethys Sea. These rivers had their source in the now Tibetan region.

The deep gorges of the Indus, the Satluj, the Brahmaputra etc. clearly indicate that these rivers are older than the Himalayas.

They continued to flow throughout the building phase of the Himalayas; their banks rising steeply while the beds went lower and lower due to vertical erosion (Vertical down cutting was significant and was occurring at a rate faster than the rising of Himalayas), thus cutting deep gorges.

Thus, many of the Himalayan Rivers are typical examples of antecedent drainage.

Indus River System

Sindhu

Sanskrit

Sinthos

Greek

Sindus

Latin

Major Rivers of Indus River System

Source

Length

Indus

Glaciers of Kailas Range (Close to Manasarovar Lake)

2880 km total.

710 km in India

Jhelum

Verinag

720 km

Chenab

Bara Lacha Pass

1180 km

Ravi

Near Rohtang Pass

725 km

Beas

Near Rohtang Pass

460 km

Satluj

Manasarovar-Rakas Lakes

List of important passes given in previous posts

1450 km total

1050 km in India

Indus River

India got her name from Indus.

‘The Indus Valley Civilization’ was born around this river.

It flows in north-west direction from its source (Glaciers of Kailas Range – Kailash range in Tibet near Lake Manasarovar) till the Nanga Parbhat Range.

It’s length is about 2,900 km. Its total drainage area is about 1,165,000 square km [more than half of it lies in semiarid plains of Pakistan]. It is joined by Dhar River near Indo-China border.

After entering J&K it flows between the Ladakh and the Zaskar Ranges. It flows through the regions of Ladakh, Baltistan and Gilgit.

The gradient of the river in J&K is very gentle (about 30 cm per km).

Average elevation at which the Indus flows through JK is about 4000 m above sea level.

It is joined by the Zaskar River at Leh (these kind of points are important for prelims).

Near Skardu, it is joined by the Shyok at an elevation of about 2,700 m.

The Gilgit, Gartang, Dras, Shiger, Hunza are the other Himalayan tributaries of the Indus.

It crosses the Himalayas (ends its mountainous journey) through a 5181 m deep gorge near Attock, lying north of the Nanga Parbat. It takes a sharp southerly bend here (syntaxial bend).

Kabul river from Afghanistan joins Indus near Attock. Thereafter it flows through the Potwar plateau and crosses the Salt Range (South Eastern edge of Potwar Plateau).

Some of the important tributaries below Attock include the Kurram, Toch and the Zhob-Gomal.

Just above Mithankot, the Indus receives from Panjnad (Panchnad), the accumulated waters of the five eastern tributaries—the Jhelum, the Chenab, the Ravi, the Beas and the Satluj.

The river empties into the Arabian Sea south of Karachi after forming a huge delta.

Major Tributaries of Indus River

Jhelum River

The Jhelum has its source in a spring at Verinag in the south-eastern part of the Kashmir Valley.

It flows northwards into Wular Lake (north-western part of Kashmir Valley). From Wular Lake, it changes its course southwards. At Baramulla the river enters a gorge in the hills.